1. Field of the Invention
The present device relates to the area of dental hygiene products and more particularly to dental floss holders for use in cleaning between teeth with dental floss or thread.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In dental hygiene many products have been developed to promote gum and tooth health, many of which have been directed to the removal of the material buildup caused by bacteria in the mouth. One of the most widely accepted ways to remove material from between the teeth and stimulate the gums at such locations has been to run a thread between each pair of adjacent teeth, moving it back and forth to remove material found there and to simultaneously provide contact stimulation of the gums at those locations. Toothpicks have also been widely used but most do not provide the same access to the areas between closely spaced teeth that thread can. The development of properly strengthened thread has led to a variety of the so called "dental flosses" including wintergreen flavored or waxed threads which make the task of "flossing" easier or more pleasant.
In use of dental floss, the floss must be kept taut to be effective. Others have invented various devices which hold the floss tightly but commonly the fingers are used as posts upon which the floss is wound in various ways. Most often the user will pull the "posts" apart once he has the floss properly located between the teeth to produce this taughtness. The user may then work the floss between the teeth to produce the desired cleaning and stimulating effect.
This invention provides a device which does not require the user to wrap floss about his fingers and bind them (to make "posts") while at the same time it provides the user with the ability to make the floss taut for cleaning/stimulating between his teeth. It also provides the user with the ability to pull a length of floss completely through the space between two very tightly adjacent teeth. This can be essential where, in the lower jaw for instance, there is a problem in pulling the floss "up" from between two such teeth, or where there is some other impediment to "upward" removal. This invention also allows varying lengths of floss to be used.
Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.